This creates a whole new problem in the school choice debate.
Upstate New York Rep. Elise Stefanik is proposing federal legislation that would require all schools to serve chocolate and other flavored milks in addition to regular milk. -Dairy products are bad for children.
“Let New York students drink chocolate milk!” Stefanik, a rebellious House Republican fourth party, told The Post.
“Dairy farmers in upstate New York and the North Country work hard to produce nutritious milk for their communities,” she said.
“Any attempt by Mayor Adams to ban chocolate milk and replace it with vegan juice is absolutely unacceptable and will be opposed by parents, families, children and New Yorkers.”
Republicans now control the House, making Stefanik’s bill more likely to pass than when it was first introduced last year. She is now one of the most powerful leaders in Congress and is the chairman of the House Republican Conference.
Stefanik’s bill — the School Milk Choice Protection Act of 2023 — was co-sponsored by Rep. To do.
The measure only states that schools must “offer flavored liquid milk and unflavored liquid milk to students” and that they “may provide” lactose-free milk to students. .
Chocolate milk advocates worry Adams will become the Big Apple’s newest health nanny — a resemblance to former mayor Mike Bloomberg. Mike Bloomberg was thwarted in court for trying to ban the sale of large sugary drinks, successfully banning trans fats in restaurants and banning smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places.
Former Brooklyn mayor Adams, who switched to a mostly vegan diet after being diagnosed with diabetes and has already ordered plant-based meals for school offerings, posted a “Do the Math” video in 2019 to help the city. The Department of Education has decided to scrap chocolate milk because it contains sugar.
In a video presentation, the mayor at the time showed how much sugar was in a large glass of chocolate milk. says.
“Instead of giving children drinks that will cause health problems for the rest of their lives, we should encourage them to drink more water,” Adams said in the video.
“Chocolate milk has extra sugar, which contributes to type 2 diabetes, obesity and other health problems,” Adams said last year.
However, when asked about Stefanik’s chocolate milk bill, a mayoral spokesman said Thursday, “We are committed to providing healthy choices at school for our students and we are committed to bringing all stakeholder interest into this conversation.” keep people involved.”
Since last year, there’s been a give and take between Stefanik and chocolate milk critic Adams.
Stefanik also joined a bipartisan group of congressmen who sent Adams a letter asking him to abandon the ban on flavored milk in New York City schools. They included Delgado (now Lieutenant Governor) and Queens Representative Grace Meng (both Democrats).
In response, Adams announced a temporary delay last April in his decision to ban chocolate milk in schools. said he would entrust it to
“At the principal’s discretion, individual schools may choose to remove flavored milk from their menus as long as they continue to provide milk with every meal in accordance with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements,” his letter said at the time. was
He also supports revisions to the National School Feeding Act and encourages school feeding authorities to establish a pilot grant program to provide “healthy, climate-friendly, plant-based diet and milk options to students.” said he supported it.
More than two-thirds of the milk served in schools is flavored, and according to Stefanik’s International Dairy Association statistics, students are getting the clasium, protein and other dairy products they need for healthy growth and development. An essential way to get nutrients.
According to the Federal Dietary Guidelines for American Data, children do not get enough calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, which are also found in milk.
The lawmaker cited a study that showed children drink 35% less milk when flavored milk is eliminated from elementary schools.